Friday, July 2, 2010

Maine: Day 1 (June 27)

I began my ride north Saturday afternoon following the disappointing USA-Ghana match. The good news was that Sunday's boat trip to Seal Island had filled and the weather looked perfect. We awoke in Belfast, ME to a waterfront view and the sounds of yodeling Common Loons.

A 75-min drive to the dock in Stonington, where we found more birders waiting. In all, 8 of the 10 passengers were birders...a nice ratio. Our captain was incredibly friendly and was willing to do whatever he could to put us in position to see the Red-billed Tropicbird that was again summering in the area.

We left the dock and meandered between several inshore spruce/fir-laden islands (not much of a botanist...) including Isle au Haut. Black Guillemots and Common Eider were common, as were Harbor Seals.

offshore rocks with Harbor Seals

As we approached Seal Island, Wilson's Storm-petrels became more common and two Manx Shearwaters were spotted. At the island itself, we were treated to Atlantic Puffins, Razorbills, a few Common Murres, both cormorants and many Arctic Terns among Commons. We had more Harbor Seals, a couple Gray Seals, and a couple dozen Harbor Porpoise.

part of Seal Island NWR

Atlantic Puffins

Atlantic Puffins, Razorbills, and a single Common Murre standing tall

Razorbills and Common Eider

Razorbills

We were not lucky enough to see the Tropicbird on this day, but the birds and the company made the trip more than worthwhile. In particular, I was thrilled to see so many Arctic Terns up close and personal. It was interesting to watch the terns come and go from the island...the Common Terns mainly flew inshore to feed while the Arctic Terns nearly always flew offshore. To see what a real photographer with a real camera can do, check out Lauren Kras' pics...love those ARTE shots!

The ride back was uneventful and less birdy that the ride out. We stopped for a look at the Robinson Point Lighthouse on Isle au Haut.

leaving Seal Island

Isle au Haut

Upon arrival at the dock we said our goodbyes and I continued north toward Machias. I was hoping to sneak in some boreal species before dark.

One particular piece of habitat near Machias provided hope for Spruce Grouse and others. No grouse here despite spending a few hours scouring, but my long overdue life GRAY JAYs made an appearance. Two adults and a young bird.

Gray Jay

great boreal habitat

A couple Boreal Chickadees were very cooperative as well.

Afterwards I decided to head into Lubec for the night, with a boat trip to Machias Seal Island scheduled for the morning from Cutler.

looking across the border to Canada...note the fog bank, a sign of things to come

Isle Au Haut is the stronghold for wintering Harlequin Ducks in the northeast. Too bad about the tropicbird but you'll see one soon. Spruce Grouse will take more traveling someday. What do you think of my college environs? Scenic but bleak...

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About Me

Orthopaedic Surgery PA since 2010. When I'm not roaming the halls of a Connecticut hospital, I can be found birding the coast of New Haven County, traveling, catching up on sleep, fishing Long Island Sound, or watching the Mets blow a 5-run lead. And of course an interest in music, movies, and all sorts of stuff. Of all my interests, birding is right there at the top, and is certainly one of the most unique and worthwhile.

What will you find here?

In this space I generally keep a running journal of sightings and photos. In addition, I'll be rambling about various topics, such as: identification, status and distribution, the state of migration, rarities, and weather and its impact on local birding.

Photographs

After years of digiscoping I purchased a dSLR, the Canon 7D, in July 2011 along with the 400mm f5.6 prime lens. I upgraded to the 7D MarkII in September of 2016.All of my shots on this website are taken with either the Canon 7D, 7D MkII or digiscoped with a Canon Powershot unless otherwise noted.ALL PHOTOS are Copyright Nick Bonomo 2008-2018 unless otherwise noted.

Post-processing, when performed, is limited to minor exposure adjustments and sharpening. I sometimes do not have enough free time for this step and will post photos as-is. On several occasions I will not alter a photo if I feel that the change does not make the bird appear as it did in the field, for identification purposes. I currently shoot in jpeg only.